*CATalysta in the community
James Bias
The holiday season is a fitting time to celebrate this month's jolly CATalysta! Just like Santa in his workshop all year 'round, James Bias has been working in the animal care and control field for over thirty years. He started as a volunteer veterinary assistant for a local shelter when a friend convinced him to go to the police academy so that he could go after the people who abuse animals. From there, he helped open a small shelter for a volunteer based organization and over the years, has risen to become the newly elected Chair of the Board of Directors of the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA) and the President of the SPCA of Texas. His dedication to homeless or lost animals is why he has been chosen as this month's CATalysta.
Like other executive leaders in the animal care and control community, he is encouraged by the strides that communities have made in increasing the number of owned animals that have come from shelters. He believes that the increase in marketing and other promotions that shelters have undertaken has improved the numbers of pets going out of shelters and into loving homes. He is looking forward to helping SAWA to continue to increase collaboration between shelters and other local shelter organizations. He says "what a lot of people not in the animal sheltering world don't realize is that each SPCA in different communities is a separate non-profit, not a chapter of a larger organization. SAWA has the opportunity to bring organizations together and help them collaborate." He is also looking forward to reenergizing the National Council on Pet Overpopulation and Study (NCPOS), a think tank that recently became a part of SAWA. He explains "the NCPOS is a group of scientists that not only look at pet overpopulation, but also examine how people are impacted by pets."
As a cat caretaker, Mr. Bias has four cats who share their home with him, he would like to see more cats from shelters find permanent homes, and believes that elevating the status of the cat in society is a critical step in increasing adoptions. He explains "the number one way that people acquire cats is through finding them or taking in a stray. In order to have more cats adopted, the community has to realize the value of owning a cat because there is a cost to adopt a cat from a shelter versus getting a cat for free when you find one." Help Mr. Bias celebrate the holidays (at the right time of course) by bringing home a cat from your local animal care and control agency. Merry Purrs!
For more information on SAWA visit www.sawanetwork.org
